The tarnished sports icon is featured in a new [video id="501492"]Nike television commercial[/video] launched Thursday (April 8) entitled "Earl and Tiger." In the black-and-white ad, Tiger Woods is seen solemnly facing the camera. As the shot slowly zooms in on his face, a voice-over of Woods' late father, Earl Woods, is heard saying, "Tiger, I am more prone to be inquisitive to promote discussion. I want to find out what your thinking was. I want to find out what your feelings are. And did you learn anything?''

Rumors of Tiger Woods' extra-marital affairs first surfaced in November of last year shortly after his car accident. Tiger Woods subsequently entered an in-patient treatment facility for sex addiction. Since the controversy, many of Tiger's numerous sponsors have dropped the golfer as a spokesperson. Nike released a statement defending their choice in keeping Tiger Woods as a representative:

"We support Tiger and his family. As he returns to competitive golf, the ad addresses his time away from the game using the powerful words of his father."

On Monday, Tiger Woods held his first open-ended press conference to address reporters before his return to professional golf at the Masters Tournament. While he admitted that his wife, Elin, would not be attending the tournament, he expressed distress over the media coverage of his family, which he described as "constant harassment." The golf star said, "My wife and kids being photographed everywhere they go, being badgered. That's tough on them, because it's very difficult to heal."

The scandal may have affected Woods' reputation, but the golfer remains adamant about succeeding in the tournament. He told reporters at the press conference, "I'm going to try to go out there and win this thing."

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